Chakura Hyōrōzeme
Chakura Hyōrōzeme, lit. Chakra Starvation Tactics, is a training technique developed by the Yamabushi (Mountain Monks) during the era of the Sage of Six Paths. Utilizing this technique of training the body through chakra fasting, shinobi advance to the highest levels of chakra control needed to perform Shugendō. By sealing the chakra network and forcing the ninja to survive and finally train under conditions of rarefied chakra, his control of it becomes elevated to beyond even the Hyūga clan's or the finest medical nins. Background Yamabushi were mountain monks who lived in the closest places on earth to the heavens. They sought to augment their human capacity by taking control of the various energies found in nature. They developed techniques designed to increase the chakra control of the user to the point where he became capable of easily controlling these massive energies with his own chakra thereby supplementing his own energy with that of the outside world far beyond what a normal shinobi is capable of producing. These techniques were further refined by En no Gyōja during the founding of Shugendō and are still in use today in the Land of Whispering Bone. Preparation Chakra sealing body tattoo 01.jpg|Sealing the chakra 01 chakra sealing body tattoo 02.jpg|Sealing the chakra 02 Preparation begins at the genin level. The disciple receives a series of tattooed seals that cover the entire body. These seals are painted on with an invisible ink made from Baku venom and Lindeworm larva. The tattoos only become visible when the seals are in use. After the seals are applied the subject is ready to begin training. However, a Shin'in Shinden style Tsuiwonasu must be used to properly monitor the internal state of the disciple, allowing for faster treatment in the event of emergency. Execution Primary Implementation The Boar, Ox, Ram hand seals activate the tattoos. At this point, chakra is siphoned from the user and the chakra pathway system is restricted, allowing only small amounts of stamina to flow through the system. When first applied the user is rendered into a catatonic state and must be monitored by an experienced medical ninja. Training in this manner initially lasts only an hour a day. As training progresses, the duration lengthens until the disciple remains capable of staying conscious and training lasts throughout the daytime. At night the seals are relaxed to allow recovery. At this time the disciple is ready to train alone and no longer requires a medical nin to supervise the process. Eventually the disciple reaches a point where he is able to perform normal training routines, while under the influence of the seal. Instruction continues in this manner during the normal course of training for the life of the Shinobi. Supplementary Implementation To maximize the effects of this technique the user simultaneously engages in Chakra Breathing and Kundalini training. This builds the body and prepares the mind in unison with the internal rarefied chakra environment, while effectively increasing rigorous control over the tenketsu and keiraku of the chakra pathway system. Thus allowing the body to adapt much faster and far more completely to the restricted internal conditions. Effects Primary This training is specifically designed to condition the body to operate under an internal environment of chakra depletion. Over time the body becomes more efficient at utilizing chakra in several ways: stamina/chakra sensitivity, more rapid production of higher volumes of physical energy, reduction in stamina recovery duration, and increasing autonomic responsiveness of user's chakra. As a result, the user experiences a leap in chakra control skills. He becomes capable of flowing chakra through every meridian and tenketsu, similar to a Hyūga. Likewise his abiltiy to concentrate his chakra reaches the level of medical prodigy. Consequently, the possession of both these capabilities allows one who undertakes mastery of this technique to surpass both Hyūga and medical genius alike Secondary Shinobis who master this technique become stronger than those who do not and therefore survive longer. As a result they tend to have more offspring. Also those offspring are conceived to parents whose bodies have adapted and become healthier due to being capable of using and more readily producing bodily resources. As generations of shinobi practice this technique, the offspring of those who adapt well actually experience an increase in initial aptitude for chakra control. This aptitude increases with every generation. Tertiary Due to an ancillary effect of the seal made from biological byproducts of baku and spirit worms. a small percentage of those who use it develop parasitic physiological characteristics capable of feeding off the stamina/chakra of others for sustenance. Their bodies require only chakra to survive. Since the Land of Whispering Bone implemented the nationwide policy of chakra starvation and possesses a total population devoted to the shinobi trade, it has acquired the largest contingent of chakra parasitic shinobi in the world. Risk Initial risks are similar to any form of chakra depletion: extreme fatigue, hospitalization, coma, death. After the user adapts sufficiently to the process risk remains minimal. Proper care must be maintained to prevent over exertion during training or similar risks still apply. Trivia This technique is patterned after the real life tribes who have adapted to life at high altitudes in rarefied oxygen environments: mainly Tibetans, Andeans, and Ethiopians. Each tribe has a different method of surviving in the rare air of the territories in which they live. Some have adapted bodies that collect and use oxygen more efficiently, while others simply breathe more quickly with less effort using higher lung capacity. Still others developed superior cardiac function under severe hypoxia, via cellular pathways involved in calcium regulation, heart contraction, and blood circulation thus advancing oxygen transport. It could be said that these tribes walked three distinct paths to high altitude living: hematological, respiratory, circulatory. None of these tribes suffer from the dangers of high altitude living.